The present invention relates to an system for the thermal treatment of work pieces with an explosive gas mixture, particularly a thermal deburring system.
An apparatus of this type, such as the one disclosed in EP 0 211 848 B1, has a processing chamber, which contains a combustion chamber for receiving the work piece. A system formed of several channels, which open at various sites in the combustion chamber, is connected to a supply channel. This system of channels performs an additional mixing of the gas mixture. In addition, the flame front coming from the ignition point and running to the supply channel is divided into a plurality of flame jets before their introduction into the combustion chamber. The flame jets enter at various points into the combustion chamber, whereby a relatively large volume of the mixture is simultaneously ignited. The possibility thus exists that one of these flame jets will contact an individual work piece or an area of the work piece, whereby the processing or deburring results can be non-uniform.
In contrast, the inventive system for the thermal treatment of work pieces with an explosive gas mixture, in particular, a thermal deburring system, has the advantage that a uniform processing or deburring effect on the work pieces can be achieved, since a unit or device is provided in the combustion chamber that has a plurality of openings, through which the flame front passes for heat-treating the work pieces. Preferably, the combustion chamber is divided into two areas by the unit, whereby the work pieces are arranged in one area and the flame front is released in another area. In another, further advantageous embodiment, the unit is connected to the supply channel. Therefore, an existing system, whose ignition sourcexe2x80x94for example, in the form of an ignition plugxe2x80x94is disposed in an ignition channel, can be converted in a simple manner to a system of the present invention.
Since the flame front passes through many small openings of the unit or device, it is large in relation to the volume of the combustion chamber. The small openings serve also as throttles, whereby the combustion, in total, runs longer, which serves to protect the work pieces.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the device is formed as a tube or pipe. In this manner, the forces that originate from the pressure wave are mutually offset. The tube is also particularly well-suited for simple mounting to the processing chamber and can easily be changed.
Further advantages and advantageous embodiments of the inventive system for heat-treating of work pieces with an explosive gas mixture, in particular, thermal a thermal deburring system, are provided in the following description.